Weather & fire detection

You can use the map to search by location. Type your town, city or county into the search box and then select it from the drop-down choices. Any recent potential fire detected in your area will appear on the map. Select the fire for incident details. You may apply additional filters (see below) to include in your local view.

Choose one or more of the filters listed below. Once a filter is applied, click its icon on the map for more information. You can combine results from all satellite filters to get the most information.

Satellites and active perimeters

• GOES-16 satellite*
• GOES-18 satellite*
• MODIS satellite
• VIIRS satellite
• Fire perimeters (GeoMAC)*

Cameras and views

• Cameras
• View
  • Satellite
  • Street
  • Topographic*
  • GOES-18 live view

Additional filters

• Weather stations
• County lines
• CAL FIRE incidents*
• Red Flag Warnings
• Wind lines
• All fire detections

*Default filter

Fire-detection map filter descriptions

GOES-16 and GOES-18 satellites
The GOES-16 and 18 satellites rotate with the earth and always view the same area of the earth's surface. They provide new images every 5 minutes, at most. These satellites rapidly detect fire and track a fire over its lifetime.

MODIS and VIIIRS satellites
These satellites take high-quality pictures of the earth's surface. They typically take a snapshot only a few times a day. Because they're more sensitive than GOES satellites, they can detect smaller fires.

Fire perimeters
Perimeters for large, recent fires are displayed in near real-time and updated daily. Visit GeoMAC for more information.

Cameras
Cameras monitor high fire-risk areas. Select a camera icon to see the camera's view. Arrows show which direction the camera is facing.

Weather stations
Weather stations vary in the type of information collected. One may report wind only, while another may report temperature. Select station icons to view data.

CAL FIRE incidents
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) responds to California fire emergencies. CAL FIRE posts details for the major incidents on their website. Our map includes icons for the major fires reporting less than 100% containment. Visit CAL FIRE for official information.

Red Flag Warnings
Red Flag Warnings are declared by the National Weather Service. This happens when warm temperatures, low humidity and strong winds could lead to fire danger. Apply this filter to view areas currently under a Red Flag Warning. Visit the National Weather Service for official warning information.

All fire detections
This lists all recent potential fires detected within California. It includes:

• Reporting satellite
• County
• Times of first and last detection
• Hours of duration
• Highest temperature detected
• A geographic coordinate and ID number for each detection

Select a fire icon to view details for the incident. The type of detail will vary, depending on which satellite is reporting. Some possible details include:

• High Fire-Threat District
  The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has identified high fire-threat areas, as displayed on the High Fire-Threat District Map. Some satellites report on whether a fire is within one of these high-risk zones.
• Fire Radiative Power (FRP)
  FRP is the radiant heat energy released. It's related to the intensity of a fire burning in an area. FRP can range from 0 megawatts (low intensity) to greater than 10,000 megawatts (severe intensity). Low-intensity grass fires typically have FRP values less than 1,000 megawatts.
• Saturated pixel
  When the FRP goes above its limit, the data becomes "saturated." This generally only happens in severe fires.
• Cloud-contaminated pixel
  This indicates that cloud cover or a smoke plume is partially obscuring the surface of the earth. Dense clouds can impact data accuracy.

The map also includes additional features, such as:

• Key: Time of recent fire detection. Color codes indicate when fires were detected in the last 48 hours.
• Fire timeline and pixel reading: The GOES-16 and GOES-17 satellites may show fire intensity timelines. This is labeled "FRP for pixel in fire." The timeline will appear with other details once you click on a detected fire.